A rather surprising gameweek of football has come to an end in the Premier League with Chelsea finally having a poor week of football in a long time. The league leaders have been cruising away from their competition, but a draw against Burnley means they drop two points and reduce their lead on top of the table to 8 points.
Liverpool who was in a poor run of form stunned Tottenham with a dominating performance, which perhaps doesn’t make Chelsea’s draw seem so bad. The Manchester clubs, on the other hand, were perhaps the biggest winners as they cruised to convincing victories this weekend.
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Meanwhile, there was more bad news for the defending champions Leicester City as they lost yet again, while Swansea is slowly climbing out of the relegation zone. All this and more as here are the 10 things we learned from game week 25 of the Premier League:
#1 Willy Caballero must replace Claudio Bravo
Manchester City's biggest controversy this season apart from the Yaya Toure saga was the loan of Joe Hart. Claudio Bravo who replaced the Manchester City star has had a poor season, to out it kindly. While his football was been average, his shot stopping has probably been the worst in the league.
With their number one choice out of form, Pep has finally made the decision to give Caballero a chance. And the Argentine keeper has grabbed this opportunity with both hands (much like his saves in the last two games). While his distribution isn’t the greatest, he has made vital saves in key moments, especially that of Jordan Ibe this weekend.
#2 Swansea City may not be relegated after all
As we entered 2017, it looked almost certain that the Welsh club who once made it to the finals of the League Cup will be relegated. However, the arrival of former Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid assistant manager Paul Clement has completely turned things around for the club.
With three vital wins at home in the league, the Swans are now placed 15th in the table, only six points away from a midtable finish. With over a dozen games to go, this sort of form could probably even take them to the upper half of the table.
#3 Gabbiadini proves to be a vital signing for Southampton
Charlie Austin’s injury in December put him out of action for up to four months. That meant that Southampton had to make-do with Shane Long who is himself more than a handful on his day. However, with Long, the word prolific can never be associated. And that was what the Saints needed.
Manolo Gabbiadini’s signing has proven to be just that for Claude Puel. The striker’s ability to make quick decisions in a league like the Premier League where strikers are crowded for space often – thanks to his time in Italy, Gabbiadini looks to be surely a steal for the Saints.
#4 Liverpool are truly the Robinhood of the Premier League
Taking from the rich and giving to the poor – Liverpool has certainly been the Robinhood of the Premier League this season. Having lost to Burnley, Bournemouth, Hull City, Swansea City and drawn against Sunderland, Liverpool has dropped 14 points against teams placed in the bottom half of the table.
On the other hand, the have managed to beat Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal while they have drawn twice against Manchester United. This clearly shows how much Jurgen Klopp needs to focus on the smaller teams. Maybe the Reds bring their A game only when the challenge is greater.
#5 Burnley are ridiculously good at home
The Clarets have been almost unbeatable at home this season and even Antonio Conte’s Chelsea who have been cruising this season failed to crack the code at Turf Moor. Burnley have turned their home into an intimidating battlefield thanks to their passionate and incredibly loud fans. And Chelsea can be said to be lucky for coming out of all this with just a single point.
In 14 games are home, Burnley has won nine and drawn two. Which means, 29 of their 30 points this season has come at Turf Moor. Sean Dyche aimed to pick up as many points as possible at home and has stuck to the plan perfectly this season.
#6 Crystal Palace are the new favourites for the bottom spot
The only team showing no signs of improvement at the moment is Crystal Palace. Sam Allardyce’s return to the Premier League has been disappointing to say the very least. His team has displayed signs of quality at times, but his arrival by no means has been an upgrade on Alan Pardew.
In fact, it has arguably been a downgrade on the former Newcastle United boss. With the defence not as tight as Big Sam would like, Palace are struggling to pick up points against anyone. This also puts the FA’s selection policies in question. Was Sam Allardyce ever good enough to be England’s manager? A lot to ponder about!
#7 Manchester United can surely finish in the top four
The Red Devils have been in their best run of form since the departure of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has taken the Premier League by storm while Jose Mourinho has proven his doubters wrong and the poor season with Chelsea as just a one off.
With the type of form and fitness in the squad, Manchester United could surely bank of their firepower to move into the top four. With other teams in the top six dropping points, Manchester United could even end up in the top three of the Premier League and complete an incredible comeback after a poor start.
#8 Inconsistency is Everton’s biggest enemy
Just when Everton seem like they are at their best, they slow down. After a three-game winning run, which included a 4-0 thrashing of Manchester City, they drew against Stoke City when they could have easily bagged the game.
And then after trashing Bournemouth, one would’ve expected them to win against the misfiring Middlesborough. However, Everton simply wer not able to convert their chances and it is games like these that will hurt them the most. Had they been more consistent after their bright start, the Toffees could have been pushing for a European spot.
#9 Only Alexis can guarantee Arsenal a top-four spot
Arsenal has yet again been knocked out of the title race with the wait for their next Premier League title getting longer. Santi Cazorla’s injury means that the Gunner simply couldn’t control the midfield as they would’ve liked and this has to lead to them being out of the title race even faster than the previous seasons.
With Liverpool and Manchester United right behind them, Arsenal needs to step up their game and capitalise on Tottenham’s inconsistency to ensure a top four spot. And the only player who can carry Arsenal seems to be Alexis Sanchez this season. The Chilean has been in stunning form and is surely a contender for the PFA Player of the Year award. His passion and hunger are the difference between him and the rest of the team.
#10 There may be a twist in the relegation battle
While Sunderland has been the favourites to go down for a long time, Crystal Palace might now be looking at the bottom spot and a season at least in the Championship. However, the Black Cats have shown some signs of improvement while Leicester City have been going from bad to worse.
Swansea, on the other hand, are perhaps safe at the moment while Middlesborough is another team dropping like a stone in water. Hull City, meanwhile, have been improving game after game under their new manager.
This leaves Boro and Leicester only a loss away from the bottom of the table. To cut it short, we can expect Middlesborough and Leicester City to join Sunderland and Hull City for a four-way battle for the 18th and 19th spot.
